Help Promote Good Reading Habits in Kalimantan

In Indonesia, Science is not one of the children’s favorite learning topics. They consider it as difficult and intense subject. Through YUM’s Integrated Community Library in Bukit Batu, Central Kalimantan, we encourage the children to like and learn more about Science in a fun way.  The learning methods involve simple experiments, games and watching movie clips related to science.

This activity began in January 2015 and is held twice a month.  We are grateful for your donation to our Library which is now equipped with visual aids and hands on equipment to support learning and includes items such as animals torso, solar system, books and movies.  The children learn about water circulation, names of the planets, gravity, law of attraction etc. Around 10-15 children participate in this activity.

The children show great enthusiasm during this activity and hence your continued support on this project is very important to sustain their interest and growth in science.  We would like to continue to encourage them to learn more and update their knowledge about science. More educational tools, movies, books will be required to help achieve the above goals in order to further support the children’s education. None of the activities above could be even remotely possible without your donation.

On behalf of the children from Bukit Batu, Central Kalimantan we would like to sincerely express our gratitude to all of you, our honorable donors. Thank you.

As you may know, the YUM Kalimantan Library is located in the area of Bukit Batu, Central Kalimantan, an area that during the months of September and October the air quality was the worst on the world due to the haze produced by the bush-fires. Our communities were constantly exposed to pollution levels above 1,000 often above 2,000 and, eventually, reaching levels as high as 3,900; more than ten times above the hazardous level. 

Our premises in Kalimantan, became a Clinic Post at that time assisting the communities with a team of doctors who voluntarily arrived from Jakarta, and giving consultation and medicines, vitamins and others to hundreds of adults and children who most of them were suffering respiratory problems.Our Library was not an exception, the Librarian and other personnel at YUM in Kalimantan made all efforts to provide children not only with creative and fun activities but also with masks to protect them from the haze as well as daily consumption of milk, vitamins, oxygen and others and information about the danger of the local practice of burning the bushes.

Finally, at the beginning of November the rains arrived and the Library is back to its regular activities for enjoyment of the children. Again time to read and storytelling, drawing and dancing… yes, all is back to normal. But now children have learnt that bush fires should be stopped so that a sad situation like the experienced during those weeks should never happen again.

YUM wishes to express its gratitude to GlobalGiving Donors continuous support to hundreds of children in Kalimantan and giving them the opportunity of imparting the good habit of reading, the base for a good education. Children in Kalimantan are confident they will continue having new books to read, new color pencils to draw, new documentaries to watch, their hopes much depend on your valuable help. Thank you.

Due of the long period of inhaling bad air, some children and adults were severe affected and developed serious lung’s illness.YUM is committed to give continuation to the action relief, assisting our communities and provide them the necessary assistance. The details of which can be found at: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/kalimantan-haze-emergency-appeal/